Unique Indoor Activities For Rainy Days

These days we can’t seem to go a single week without there being at least one rainy day forecast! Whilst inevitable at this time of year, the gloomy weather can prove troublesome when it comes to keeping your little one both entertained and cooped up indoors with no ideas for rainy day activities.

But fear not! Here we present to you a handy (but not exhaustive) list of imaginative, fun activities that you can do all from the comfort of your own home. These activities are also ideal for each of them will help to develop your child’s fine motor skills and support the Little Learners mission!

• Rainbow skittles experiment: This is a fun and simple ‘experiment’ that will teach children about dissolvement in a creative way, as well as developing their hand-eye coordination and allowing them to experience new textures and tastes. All you will need is a bag of skittles, a plate and some warm water. Just arrange the skittles in a circle on the plate and pour warm water into the middle and wait a few seconds for the magic to begin…the colours will dissolve away from the sweets and spread throughout the water in a fascinating way! Make it more fun by mixing the skittles up and playing around with different combinations and patterns.

• Hunt the lemon: This is something that my parents played with me when I was very little, but I remember playing it so vividly, I must have loved it! Hunt the Lemon is essentially a game of hide and seek with a twist. One closes their eyes and counts to 10, whilst the other – instead of hiding themselves – hides the lemon, which the counter consequently needs to find. This sort of game is so simple yet beneficial – the process of hiding and finding the lemon encourages children to use their imagination and problem-solving skills – a key aim of every Little Learners class. What’s more, the lemon is a simple household object that won’t present itself as a joking hazard.
• Bubble print painting: Another fascinating crafty activity! Simply take some paint and mix it in with some water plus a dash of washing-up liquid. Blow into the paint/washing-up liquid mixture and bubbles will appear and grow. All that’s left to do next is to take some plain paper and place on top of the bubbly concoction to create a print. An easy and cheap way to create sensory play at home, and also something that is bundles of fun. Whilst you’re at it, here are some more fun ways for your little ones to make their mark with paint!

• Hand shadows: : Let your kids discover the science of shadows and light with some hand shadows, which will help them develop and practice their fine motor skills through working on thumb opposition and finger isolation. Shine a light against a wall or plain background and let their creativity unfold as they produce different shadowy shapes – they could even put on a hand shadow show for you! But if you’re looking for something messier yet still educational, our classes are also perfect for developing those all important skills!

• Coin rubbing pictures: An educational art project for anyone! Just put any coin down on a sturdy surface, place some plain paper down over the top of it, and rub back and forth across the coin with a crayon so that an impression appears. Flip the coin over and repeat if you so wish. As well as helping to develop your child’s muscles with regards to holding a crayon, this activity is also useful to teach children about differing values of coins. For more ways to develop your little one’s fine motor skills with everyday objects that will be lying around the house, click here.
• Above all else, come along to a Little Learners class! We run classes all over the country, so find your nearest one today and book a place. There’s nothing better than learning through play, for as Albert Einstein once said: “Play is the highest form of research”.

And if you’re still stuck for inspiration, check out this former blog post, detailing another successful indoor activity for rainy days.

Why not spend the next rainy day at one of our classes? Visit our Facebook to see what we get up to in classes through messy play!

The rain will never dampen your days again!